Question for SamboSteve

I just read the Kriger SAMBO piece in Fight magazine , and I was wondering if you agree with his assessment that
a) There have been fewer SAMBO players in MMA than one might expect
and
b) The tendency to give the back is a reason for this

In the article you mention that the ASA has a "Freestyle" ruleset that allows chokes. Is this having the desired effect of creating awareness of the position?

I've only been doing sambo about a year now, but I would say we don't give the back as much as judoka, but in sport sambo it is a valid tactic to turtle (or lie flat on your front) and try to stall. Takes longer though as they generally let you have more time on the ground. I generally think a sambo person is more likely to give the back because in sports sambo there are no chokes.

This is only valid for sports sambo, not combat sambo - combat sambo you can choke. Combat sambo is more relevant to MMA anyway, so I dont really agree with that argument for less sambo in MMA.

Do SAMBO players give the back for the same reasons as Judoka, or is it more involved? Does it extend to Combat SAMBO?

It's in the latest issue of FIGHT. The content isn't free yet, so I can't link to it.

The argument Kriger made was that the lack of choking in sport SAMBO created the unfortunate (for MMA) tactic of giving the back, and that the ASA Freestyle rules (chokes included) might be an improvement. Steve is quoted and mentioned by name.